By Daniel Kanu
Renowned academic and tactical politician, Prof Tunde Adeniran, was former Minister of Education, former Ambassador of Nigeria to Germany, as well as the chairman of the defunct Directorate for Social Mobilization (MAMSER).
He was also a former member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before his defection to the Social Democratic Party in 2018.
He left partisan politics in 2020, after serving as the national chairman of the SDP, a position he took over from Chief Olu Falae (former finance minister and presidential candidate).
In this exclusive chat with Sunday Sun, the celebrated scholar, spoke on critical national issues, including delay in electoral bill, petroleum subsidy, zoning and the president that Nigeria needs in 2023. Excerpt:
Latest Transparency International (TI) report on corruption index on Nigeria is again damning. What is your reaction to it?
I believe the report is worrisome, it shows that we still have a long way to go and unless we tackle it head-on, it will continue to haunt us and we need to be very decisive about our national policy or determination to fight corruption because it is all over the place, in the political, the economy, in fact, in all areas of our national life. We really need to tackle it and what is worrisome about it is that when you see the younger generation not giving much hope and thinking that that has become a way of life then that becomes more disturbing. So, I think it is an issue we really need to tackle head-on. It is something that we can conquer; we can put an end to it if we are so determined. It means that we have to work it out together within our various systems, dealing with it in our daily life, in our public and private life. We need to deal with it because if we don’t deal with it, it will not go away on its own.
What do we really need to do? Is it that the culprits do not receive appropriate punishment?
That is part of what I mean because it is becoming increasingly fashionable for people who have been alleged to have cheated the public or an institution to feel that it is something normal and some even celebrate it, giving impression that it is a show of, look, we have become big men. It is really a tragedy because they believe that when they do it they will go away with it and they do it with impunity, but if they are well sanctioned, if adequately punished there will be an end to it. When they are really sanctioned and the courts do not adjoin endlessly and without coming up with judgments that are ridiculous, then things will gradually begin to fall in line. Once justice is done and offenders are made to face the music, then it will serve as deterrent to others.
There is this issue of Electoral Act being delayed. Are you worried?
I do not believe that the Electoral Act should take as much time as it is taking to have its finality. When people begin to see this type of delay it gives a signal that there is something wrong somewhere, maybe that some people are trying to play games, maybe that some people are trying to manipulate to favour their political lining etc. We should not be doing things in such a way that every situation creates tension. Nigeria does not deserve all this, it is most unfortunate this is something that is so straightforward that ought to have been handled with transparency and decisiveness, and there is no need for all these rigmarole.
Already, there is a parade of presidential hopeful from the different political parties for the 2023 presidential battle. Are you satisfied with the stuff you have seen so far?
So far I am not particularly satisfied because I believe that this country has a lot of human resources. We are not just endowed with mineral resources alone, God in His mercy gave this country a lot of materials, in terms of human resources and they should come out and serve this country. The more the merrier, once the people see many more people with the capacity to turn things around for better in this country joining the race they will have confidence that the future indeed will be better than today. So, we are expecting that more people will definitely come out to join the race so that the people will be able to make more informed choices based on their antecedents, based on their vision, based on their capacity, their competence and, of course, based on their ability to understand and appreciate what is on ground and what it will take to turn things around for Nigerians and the Nigerian nation.
Nigerian politics today seem to be a struggle between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Do we really need a Third Force if there must be something different?
I believe what has been lacking all along is the absence of an ideologically-rooted party, a party that is based on clear ideology. When you talk about the APC and the PDP today being the dominant party, yes they are dominant, yet at the same time people are walking in and out of both parties because there is no difference. That is why today you can hardly tell in some cases who belongs to which party. Today, you think they are in the APC, tomorrow you discover they are not. There is no clear-cut ideological distinction between those two parties; they are just mere vehicles for winning positions. What is different is just the name, but people within those parties in terms of their philosophy and ideological orientation there is no difference.
The government has shifted subsidy removal to another 18 months, while some say it’s victory for Nigerians; some are of the view that its postponement of the doomsday. What is your view on it?
Well, if some people see it as the extension of the doomsday they have their reasons. I think it is really unfortunate that you cannot do some things and get positive result or effect out of it unless you sacrifice some other good things also. It should be possible to remove the subsidy and at the same time not having the type of negative consequences that people anticipate and which ordinarily and normally will also happen, simply because we have not put in place measures that will address the consequences of subsidy removal. Subsidy, it has been stated over and over that it is a fraud, it is fraudulent, it is a rip-off of the Nigerian people and the Nigerian nation, so it has been carefully thought out that it is time to remove it, but yet, it cannot be removed now because if you do the burden will also be burn by the people who have all along been suffering from the subsidy. Money that should be used to develop the communities, build infrastructure, improve the quality of life of the people are being siphoned to the so-called subsidy. So, it’s most unfortunate, but one believes that okay, let them enjoy another era of the subsidy within when Nigeria will be liberated from it. I believe it cannot continue forever, so it has to go.
What exactly is your take on zoning concerning the country today and the different strategies from different zones? Do you have sympathy for any zone to take the presidency in 2023?
Well, anybody has a right to be strategizing to become anything; it depends on the value of the various parties and then their orientation, which direction they want to go. One thing I have said which I believe in is that we have to think more of people with competence, people with capacity, people who know what it will take to turn things around for this country. Within that context you know that when you look at any zone you get some competent people. At the same time, you look and say okay because of the mood of the country you cannot just say okay some people have done it and that let them just continue because they are competent and all that. People feel or think that there should be a shift and then this shift will also be based on not just any character, like some of the people that we are getting now. We have to get people that Nigerians will have confidence in, those they can trust. People that can deliver, people that will represent competence, people that will represent a new change for the Nigerian people and the Nigerian nation, a new direction. I am resolute and committed to having an ideologically-oriented leadership that will be able to lead this country out of the woods.
There is this speculation in the political circle that your party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is one of the parties that will provide platform for National Consultative Front (NCFront)…?
(Cuts in) I don’t belong to any political party now. I left partisan politics since 2020, when I resigned as the national chairman, of the Social Democratic Party. Since then, I am not a member of any political party, but I belong to the group, the orientation that believes that we need to get this country on a very solid base and to do this we need a strong ideology that will be people-oriented.
What is your take on the security challenge in the country?
I am not happy and I am not satisfied with what is on ground in terms of security. The protection of lives and property is the first and most important responsibility of any government. I believe that we can do much more. A number of steps are being taken by the government, but I believe that we need to do much more. We should create the type of environment that will mobilise the entire nation to ensure an end to this insecurity. By that I mean that those who will work and ensure that we are all secured are not just the military, not just the police or the security agencies, but each and every one of us must have to be involved in it at different levels. It means that all of us will be able to make meaningful contributions to securing ourselves, protecting ourselves and all that. When you go to some countries, by the time you land as a visitor, tourist or whoever, they know that you are there and you are monitored here and there. In Nigeria today anybody comes in and goes out, so many things happen, people are trooping in with weapons of destruction, our people are being murdered and massacred here and there, abduction takes place on a daily basis, school children can no longer go to school for fear of being kidnapped, people cannot be on their farms for fear of being kidnapped, people are in their houses they cannot sleep well because they don’t know what will happen next. That is not good. That should end. In the present situation, people are living in fear and this is not in any way good for our country. Without peace and good security, development cannot take place in an environment of insecurity.
What kind of leadership do we need, and one that Nigerians should vote for in 2023?
I want Nigerians to go for a leader that has the clear vision as to where Nigeria should go, who understands the entire dynamics of this country. A leader who will be able to unite the Nigerian people, a leader who will recognise our shortcomings and our goals and be decisive in solving those shortcomings, in resolving the crisis of basic trust among various groups in the country. we need one who will address the issues of not just insecurity, but mass unemployment, particularly among the young people. A person that will adequately address the issue of economic gaps which is a very serious one and, of course, the issue of justice and equity and development so that people will feel proud and happy that they are Nigerians, that there is no second class citizens in this country and that there is no marginalisation anymore and that people can achieve their ultimate goal because they are Nigerians.
In this choice, you think age should not be a barrier or should it?
As far as I am concerned you get to a point whereby you should not aspire for such an office that is so demanding, in terms of the energy needed. For instance, you cannot see or hear me saying again that I want to be president of this country because of the physical exertion that will be required. Of course, everybody has the right to come forward as far as you fall within the constitutional requirement, but I think the younger the better and not only that, it will be better when you have people with vision, capacity, commitment and the right orientation. But we should not also write-off people based on their age, we must consider antecedents and other factors to make informed choices.